Is what I inevitably hear from every one of my less baseball savvy friends around this time of year. And then, because I am such a corrector, I need to sit there and try to explain that they’re thinking of the NON-Waiver trade deadline and right now is the WAIVER trade deadline. Where a team can put a player on waivers to try and work out deals up until September 1st.

They usually are polite enough to pretend to get it for around 12 months before we do it all over again...it can be a difficult time of year to be a baseball fan in my group of friends.

Though for the Boston Red Sox this Waiver Trade Deadline is offering up a whole new level of challenges. Namely the fact that they are last in the pecking order for claiming anyone off the Waiver Wire.

While we have been lauding the amazing season the Red Sox are having, and I doubt anyone would give that up, it’s still important to note that the better your record, the lower you are in the order for grabbing someone off the Waiver Wire.

To claim an American League player the Red Sox would need to let him pass through every other team in the American League first before they get a chance to make a claim. That means the Yankees, Astros, A’s or even lowly Rangers and Orioles could block them before they even get a chance to consider making a move. And if it’s a National League team that puts up a player (say like the Washington Nationals) then Boston will be dead last in the order.

Dave Dombrowski doesn't seem worried though. According to WEEI radio it’s just “Business as usual” for this time of year. And furthermore Alex Cora is saying the biggest question mark all year, the bullpen, doesn’t need any improvements. It’s safe to say at this point the Red Sox are not tipping their hand with regards to any acquisitions and very possibly could hold true and make no moves at this time.

However, here we are less than a month after the Non-Waiver Trade Deadline has come and gone and we were able to see the Red Sox make 3 relatively big, albeit unexpected, moves. Steve Pearce, Nathan Eovaldi, and Ian Kinsler have filled in to their roles exceptionally well and provided tons of support for the winningest team in Baseball.

But in the midst of a 3 game losing skid there are still some questions that deserve to be addressed, And while The Red Sox are obviously proving themselves to be a force to be reckoned with, it’s hard to ignore that the Waiver Trade Deadline may be the last chance to sure up before a playoff run and acquire that stitch on the baseball, regardless of the challenges it may bring.